WORDS Jennifer Duffy

Twentieth-century Celtic Revival artist Sister Concepta Lynch was born Lily Lynch in 1874.  Growing up, she learned the art of illumination from her father Thomas Joseph Lynch who had a shop on Middle Abbey Street in Dublin and developed the “Lynch Method”. Following her father’s death she successfully maintained his business for several years before entering a Dominican convent in Dun Laoghaire in 1896. She taught music and art in the convent, using the “Lynch Method” to instruct her pupils in calligraphy and illumination. Examples of her teaching charts can be found in the archives of the National Gallery of Ireland. Sr Concepta Lynch is best known for her decoration of the Oratory built in 1919 as a World War One memorial and dedicated to the Sacred Heart.

The statue in the Oratory was imported from France (its origins are alluded to in the use of a fleur-de-lys motif in the decoration), and it is placed against a painted niche by Lynch. This scheme of painted architectural elements is continued in the arcading on the walls. The windows of the Oratory were created by the Harry Clarke Studio. It is a very small space, but the decoration is stunningly vibrant and intricate. The walls are completely covered in brightly coloured Celtic motifs. It has been described by Dr Brian Kennedy as “One of the best examples of the spirit of the Celtic Revival in art in Ireland in the early years of the 20th century.” The interior is incredible, and the decorative scheme features numerous animals and interlacing designs. It makes visual references to earlier examples of Irish illumination such as the Book of Kells. A High Cross motif is also used, and references are made to elements of Irish metalwork. Lynch created stencils for the designs which are used to great effect in the symmetry of the scheme, and the mirroring of elements.

It must be remembered that Sr Concepta Lynch was in an enclosed order. Not only did this mean she could not achieve recognition for her art as she could not exhibit publicly, but it also affected something as simple as obtaining materials. Her students bought and mixed her paints to her exacting instructions — remarkably, the paint used was household emulsion paint, purchased locally, which could be applied directly to the plaster walls and gave a flat tonality well suited to the illuminative style. Gold is used sparingly throughout the decoration, and this makes it very effective.

Sr Concepta Lynch worked on the Oratory until 1936, when illness forced her to leave the project unfinished. While it is disappointing that the work to which she dedicated so much effort (she spent five to six hours a day on the decorative scheme) is incomplete, in another sense this gives an insight into the making and process behind her art. The Oratory is now open to visitors during the summer, and is well worth a visit.